


tired eyes are the death of me

by lavishhallucinations



Series: won't you say goodnight? (so i can say goodbye) [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Dissociation, Fainting, Fainting Disorder, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Faints, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Unconsciousness, and everything is relatively ok, civil war happens but they don't fuck everything up, steve doesn't demolish his relationship with tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26574409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavishhallucinations/pseuds/lavishhallucinations
Summary: Peter is fairly accustomed to the concept of fainting in front people. It happens. He deals with it.However, he never expected to take a tumble in front of Avenger after Avenger.- - -or, peter faints often but tony and the avengers are here to help!
Relationships: Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: won't you say goodnight? (so i can say goodbye) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871008
Comments: 54
Kudos: 544





	tired eyes are the death of me

**Author's Note:**

> hey everybody! before i say anything, i just want to mention how incredibly thankful i am for all the support i got on 'out like a light'. it's the first thing i ever posted to ao3 so i didn't expect it to gain any traction but you guys loved it! and i am so grateful!! seriously, you guys are awesome <3
> 
> as promised, here's a part two :) 
> 
> just a small note, this takes place after civil war but for my own sanity we're gonna pretend that when civil war happened steve didn't absolutely brutalize his relationship with tony and they never fought in that bunker. great, thanks!
> 
> this belongs to a series; can be read as a stand-alone but i highly recommend you read them in order!!
> 
> trigger warnings: fainting, dissociation, unconsciousness.

Peter is fairly accustomed to the concept of fainting in front people. It happens. Whether he's slipping into the arms of someone familiar with his situation, like Tony, May or his friends, or he's fainting in his seat in front of complete strangers on the city bus. It happens. He deals with it.

However, he never expected to take a tumble in front of Avenger after Avenger.

Rhodey

Peter pulls his earbuds out of his ears once he gets into the elevator, sighing in relief when he's met with the simple greeting of quiet. Thankful for said silence, Peter shoves the earbuds into his pocket. He's really thankful that the tower elevators don't play any music, as he doesn't know if his senses could take all that stimuli right now.

He's had a long day full of tons of commotion and fears he could have a sensory overload at any waking moment. Nowadays sensory overloads aren't much of a problem; that doesn't mean they don't suck though. Usually Peter can navigate and push through them and be alright. The real problem is the fainting that comes along with it.

Sensory overloads put him under a lot of stress, which is one of Peter's faint triggers. Stress, lack of sleep, heat and hunger all contribute to his light-headed tendencies.

So Peter is more than happy to wait in the blissful silence of the elevator.

Soon enough, the elevator doors are opening and Peter is leaving the quiet. He immediately heads towards the fridge of the kitchen, starving. He shuffles into the room but pauses before he even nears the area. 

"Hey, kid." Tony smiles from the island where he sits across from Colonel Rhodes, who also smiles gently.

"Hi, Rhodey!" Peter exclaims, skipping over to Rhodey and sitting down on the stool next to him.

"Hey, Peter." Rhodey says.

Tony rolls his eyes, "Oh, joy, I've been replaced."

Rhodey ignores his friend in favour of giving Peter his attention. "How're you doing?"

"I'm okay," Peter smiles, kicking his feet excitedly. It wasn't everyday that he got to see Rhodey. The man is rarely in New York for longer than a week, usually on long business trips or military 'adventures', and when he is in New York, he's almost always loaded with work. Because of this he and Peter have only met a handful of times. But Peter adores Rhodey all the same. "How was Sweden?" He asks curiously.

"Beautiful." Rhodey replies. 

"Tell him about the pigeon that stole your wallet." Tony says, getting up and opening the fridge.

Peter gasps, "A pigeon took your wallet?"

"No-- well, yeah," Rhodey sighs. "I was sitting on a bench and it just snatched it."

"You got it back though, right, sugarplum?" Tony prompts, smirking from where he washes some grapes in the sink before tossing them into a bowl. "The big-mean-pigeon didn't fly away with it, right?"

Rhodey sends him a dirty glare, but makes no move to respond.

"Did it?" Peter asks, voice low as if the whole conversation is a secret. It should be, Rhodey thinks, I've got a reputation to uphold.

He shakes his head. "Gone with the wind." 

"That's too bad."

"Here you go, Pete." Tony says, sliding the bowl of assorted fruits across the counter, into Peter's hands.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark!" Peter beams gratefully, tossing a blueberry into his mouth. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I aced that Spanish quiz."

Tony grins. "That's great, kiddo. You can tell me all about it once I get back from the washroom." He says before heading towards the bathroom, leaving Peter with Rhodey for a couple minutes.

"Do you want some fruit?" Peter asks Rhodey, holding out the bowl. "They're all my favourites."

"No thanks, we just ate."

"Without me?" Peter asks, gasping in fake offence.

Rhodey chuckles, "We went out for lunch."

"Rats."

"Rats?"

"Mhm."

"Alright." He smiles, shaking his head lightly. Before Rhodey met Peter, he didn't understand how just a mention of the kid's name could absolutely melt Tony's heart. That's all it took. Whether it was a notification about Peter's whereabouts from Friday or a comment about his weekend plans from Pepper, the kid softened Tony like warming ice.

But now that Rhodey has met Peter, he totally gets it. The kid melts his heart a little as well.

"When I'm staying at the tower Mr. Stark always makes me eat when I get home from school. Sometimes I forget that I'm hungry and need a reminder," Peter rambles. "He gives me all my favourite fruits and berries!"

"How often are you here now?" Rhodey asks curiously, wondering how much Peter has actually wedged himself through the walls of Tony's everyday life. It's apparent that the kid has done a good job of seeping through the cracks.

"Uh, since the dual guardianship thing I spend a week here and then I spend a week with May," Peter explains. "Even when I'm not here I still come over for lab days and stuff." He shrugs.

"That's good."

"Yeah, it's really fun. And I'm pretty sure May likes it too. You know, less on her plate." He grins.

"That's understandable," Rhodey comments. He watches Peter munch on some berries before glancing out the window. "How is your aunt, by the way?" He asks. Rhodey's met May once, although not under the best circumstances. Peter got injured on patrol once so Tony had to rush him to the medbay. Rhodey was visiting so he was in the room while Tony and May cooed and fussed over the kid in the cot.

From what he remembers, May is a lovely woman. She works as a nurse and is very caring. Additionally, she's immensely resilient, which is probably a good quality when it comes to bearing any relation with Tony Stark. It's no surprise that Rhodey, Pepper and Happy also share this quality.

It takes Rhodey a second to realize that Peter hasn't responded. He looks away from the window and focuses on Peter who is. . . not focusing. The kid is just staring at the fruit bowl in his hands. His breathing is quiet and his eyes are open, looking, but he's obviously not seeing anything. He's dissociating, Rhodey recognizes.

Then Rhodey remembers Tony mentioning Peter's fainting disorder. Just as he recalls Tony giving him 'the-fainting-town-rundown', Peter's eyes slip shut and his head knocks backwards.

"Oh--" Rhodey says, without really meaning too. He rushes to wrap his arm around Peter's middle before he can topple off the stool. He grabs the bowl and places it on the counter to avoid breaking it and then stops. "Uhm, what--"

You're fine, Rhodes, he tells himself. He's trained for emergency situations -- not that this is an emergency, he's positive that this is extremely normal for Peter. Either way, he knows not to panic. 

Instead of freaking out, he stands up and situates himself into a more comfortable position so he can better Peter's weight. The kid is not exactly light as a feather, but he's not heavy either. The electronic whirr of Rhodey's leg braces lets him know that. He just hopes Tony will be back soon.

As if on cue, Tony walks down the hallway and smiles when he sees Rhodey's current predicament.

"How's it going?" He asks, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.

"Oh you know, same-old same-old, just maintaining the weight of an unconscious teenager."

Tony chuckles as he helps Peter out of Rhodey's arms and into his own. Rhodey watches as Tony moves Peter's limbs and rests his head on a specific part of his chest, as if the movements are second nature (read: they are).

It's so parental, whether Tony acknowledges it or not. They way he cradles the kid, not unlike a baby. The way Peter looks so relaxed under Tony's touch. Soft touches, gentle hands, warm hugs, feather-light forehead kisses.

"God. . ." Rhodey shakes his head.

"What?" Tony questions, looking up from where he stares down lovingly at Peter.

Rhodey smiles, "This is really your life now, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this," He gestures to Peter. "Him. He's your life now."

Tony smiles gently. God knows he's not one to get vulnerable, but this is Rhodey he's talking to. "Yeah, pretty much." He responds, glancing down at his kid.

"Forgive me, but I never saw it coming."

"Oh, out of all the shit that's happened in my life this is what you didn't see coming?" Tony teases.

Rhodey rolls his eyes, "You know what I mean."

"Sure do," Tony says. "I don't know. I didn't expect anything either. But here we are."

Rhodey pauses. "You're a parent, Tones." He smiles.

"The parent of a child who is eavesdropping on our conversation right now." Tony says, lowering his forehead until it presses against Peter's.

"Sorry," Rhodey hears Peter say. "But is it really eavesdropping if I'm in the room?" He counters, climbing out of Tony's arms and sitting back on his stool. "And you were literally talking about me."

"I take it all back," Tony says. "You're not my life anymore. Disowned."

"But Mr. Stark, who will wash the grapes for me when I'm too afraid because there could be a deadly spider chilling in the bag?" He whines.

Tony smiles fondly. He cups Peter's jaw gently with his hands and strokes his cheeks. "Starve then." He hums.

Peter turns to Rhodey, jaw dropping. Rhodey just shrugs, popping a grape into his mouth.

Vision

The Rogue Avengers -- or a few of them -- have been living in the Tower with Tony for a couple weeks now, and honestly, it's a lot less awkward than Tony expected. Then again, the group of superheroes have never been too close-knit. There's always been simmering resentment; animosity burning lowly in the depths of their minds. They got along, sure. They enjoyed each other's company, sure. They were a family, sure. But were they?

It's no secret that each of the Avengers have their varying favourites. Steve spends the majority of his time with Natasha and Sam. Natasha herself tends to gravitate towards Clint and Tony, just because she's known them the longest, although recently she also lingers by Steve. Clint to Nat. Bruce to Tony. Tony to Natasha and Bruce.

The only person who favours each Avenger equally seems to be Thor, and that's just because he's so outgoing and friendly -- and his lack of understanding as to why he shouldn't be comrades with everyone? -- he adores them all. 

But just because they have favourites doesn't mean they get along all the time. There's a lot of arguing, a lot exasperated sighs and raised eyebrows, a lot of secrets. Tony knows this. He knows they're not perfect. He knows they just had a huge, blowout fight that the media dubbed 'the Civil War'. He knows they should be a little on edge around each other.

But they aren't.

Everything is as normal as it was before. The lack of extreme closeness remains, but there's no hatred behind any of the annoyed comments and snarky grins. That's just their normal.

Understandably, some things are different, ie Peter.

Introducing Peter to the team (subtract Clint; house arrest) was a bit of an ordeal. They had seen Peter following Tony around for a couple days before Tony made time to explain, and while the explanation didn't go well, it also didn't go bad. Some were outraged, or frustratingly confused, as to way Tony recruited a child to fight in their. . . situation. But Peter assured them that he did it willingly. They were also slightly confused why Peter was still with Tony so often.

They came to the conclusion that the two are a lot closer than they let on.

Tony also briefed them on the whole fainting thing, albeit very vaguely ("Listen, Peter faints. A lot. Don't be alarmed.")

So basically, things are going fine.

Tony's in the lab with Peter. He's doing a checkup on Vision, just to make sure that everything is functioning properly, and Peter is -- or is supposed to be -- doing his homework. He's actually watching Tony watch Vision, because who wouldn't be absolutely awestruck with a robot of such intelligence?

Dum-e and U still impress him sometimes, but he's with them nearly everyday. Peter only sees Vision walking, floating, fazing through walls every once in a while.

"Alright," Tony mumbles, taking a step back from the android'. "And everything's alright with the ol' glowy head-rock." He asks, moving to a hologram of the general makeup of the stone in Vision's head. Magic isn't Tony's area of expertise, nor is it something he enjoys dabbling in, but that doesn't mean he can't analyse it, just for research.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Mr. Stark." Vision assures, his British accent making Peter smile. Tony's shown Peter old footage of battles or simply the creation of the first Iron Man suits, which feature Jarvis' characteristically soothing voice, so Peter recognizes it. It throws him for a loop coming out of Vision's mouth sometimes though, so he can't imagine how Tony feels.

"Good." Tony says, flipping through the schematics.

"And how are you today, Peter?" Vision asks politely.

"Uhm, I'm okay," Peter mumbles. He gets up from his seat across the lab and stands in front of Vision. "Homework's a bitch."

"Watch it." Tony mumbles.

"It's difficult?" Vision questions.

"Not difficult, just. . . boring." Peter answers.

Vision perks up slightly, something he does when he tries to be helpful. "If you finish it quickly then perhaps you won't prolong the boredom." He states.

"You're right," Peter nods, humouring the superbot a little bit, since that fact is a given. "I like your sweater, by the way." He says, glancing at the cashmere sweatshirt Vision is wearing.

"Thank you," Vision beams. "Miss Wanda picked out for me this morning."

"Ooh, I ship it."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"It's okay," Peter chuckles. "Teen-term."

Tony shakes his head, listening to the conversation behind him. He's glad that Vision and Peter get along well. Then again, he would expect anything less. Vision is programmed to be kind and helpful. And Tony is pretty sure it's impossible to dislike Peter Parker.

He tunes out the conversation in favour of focusing on the holograms in front of him. He doesn't leave his head until he hears an 'oh dear' from Vision.

"It appears as though Mr. Parker has fallen unconscious."

Tony spins around, half ready to catch a blacked-out Peter, half ready to rush the kid to the medbay. Instead of doing either of those things, he stops. Vision is holding Peter up by his underarms, looking confused.

"The fainting condition, remember?" 

"Yes, I do recall," Vision says, glancing down at Peter, then back up at Tony. "But I'm just unsure of how to. . . assist him in this situation."

Tony chuckles and walks over to the android. He takes Peter from his arms and gently rests him on the couch in the corner, resting his head on a pillow. He checks the FitBit on Peter's arm, humming in satisfaction when the kid's heart rate is relatively normal.

"For future reference," Tony turns back to vision. "It doesn't really matter how you old him, as long as you're not breaking his neck," He says. "Although it's a whole lot easier to just set him down."

"I understand." Vision nods. He peeks at Peter's sleeping face and smiles.

Natasha

Tony and Natasha don't cross paths very often, unfortunately. They're both busy people. Tony with his various press events, meetings and appearances. Natasha with her SHIELD work and missions. And anytime they both happen to be in the Tower at the same time, Tony is usually in the lab and Natasha is usually training.

They prefer to hang out together sporadically for hours on end instead of just seeing each other for twenty minutes everyday. 

Due to their lack of correspondence, Peter and Natasha also don't cross paths very often.

This is disappointing to Peter because he likes Natasha the most out of the Rogues. It's disappointing to Natasha because she hasn't had time to figure the kid out yet; his personality, his motivations, his secrets. (She also happens to enjoy his company a lot more than she would like to admit).

So when Natasha gets home from a week long mission, she greets the others, grabs a protein bar from the communal kitchen, and heads straight to Tony's penthouse floor.

Everyone has access to Tony's private floor, but no one besides Natasha and maybe Steve would dare to go up there.

When the elevator doors open Natasha is hit with laughter and the scent of warm pizza. She steps out of the elevator a walks into the kitchen where Tony and Peter are eating dinner. They don't notice her, so she makes her presence known, something she learned people prefer instead of her looming in the shadows until they finally realize she's there.

"You two look like you're having fun." She says.

Tony glances at her. "You're back." He smiles.

"Yep." She hums and sits down on the stool beside Tony. She looks at Peter who is staring at Tony, seemingly having a conversation with his eyes.

"What?" Tony questions, staring back at Peter. "Oh, you can show her. You should show her." He grins.

"I assume I'm her." Natasha comments.

Peter smiles, kicking his legs childishly. "Do you want to see my Black Widow lego set?"

Natasha glances at Tony, asking permission. Tony nods once, a silent go ahead. There's reassurance in the nod too, which Natasha is uncharacteristically thankful for. She's not good with children. Young ones, like Clint's maybe, but not teenagers. Definitely not teenagers.

Nevertheless, she smiles and nods. "Sure."

"Come with me!" Peter exclaims, hopping out of his chair and rushing down the hallway. Natasha gets out of her chair as well and shoots Tony a small smile before following after Peter. 

She finds him in a bedroom which is beside what she knows is Tony and Pepper's master. The kid is sitting on the bed. He beckons her over.

She walks through the threshold and looks around at the various posters on the walls. She places herself on the bed beside Peter, leaving some space between them.

"I just built it yesterday." Peter says, pulling something out from behind him. In his hands he holds a small model of what seems to be a Helicarrier. In the middle Natasha sees a miniature version of herself standing next to a miniature version of Nick Fury. She smiles to herself.

"This is cute." She mumbles, mostly to herself.

"I thought so." Peter says, handing it to her so she can get a closer look. She takes it gently, holding it up in front of her face. She peers down at the little characters and grins. The little version of herself is dressed in a black outfit, much like her own leather suits, with red hair and her classic Black Widow belt.

Natasha didn't have toys like this when she was younger. She didn't have many toys at all in the Red Room. 

"How long did it take you to build this?" She asks, spinning the lego set around in her hands, looking at it from all angles. She doesn't receive an answer. Instead Peter collapses into her side, making her flinch. She looks to see Peter pressed against her, cheek pushed up against her shoulder.

Without moving too much, she quietly places the lego set down. She looks at the door and wonders if she could get away with sneaking out, as this is not an ideal situation to be in. She glances down at Peter and can't help but feel bad for the kid. He has to deal with this an upwards of twenty times a day, Tony mentioned? She can't imagine.

Peter is so vulnerable all the time, which is definitely not optimal for someone so close to someone so high-profile like Tony. Natasha knows what it's like to feel vulnerable and she hates it.

So she makes Peter a silent promise to always protect him when he slips unconscious.

She glances at the lego set once more, then back at Peter. It's easy to forget that he's just a child. She knows that he's only fifteen-sixteen yet he acts so mature and strong. However now that she sees him asleep, eyes closed, limbs listless, curling in on himself-- he looks so much younger.

Peter's stirring pulls Natasha from her thoughts, making her stiffen. He sits up slowly, rubbing at his eyes, his fingers shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Natasha finds herself asking.

"Huh?" Peter says, turning to her. Then he must realize that he just fainted on her because heat floods to his cheeks and he stammers out a response. "Oh-- I-- wow, oh my god-- I'm so sorry-- I'm sorry."

Normally he doesn't care when he faints on or near people, even if he doesn't know them very well, but he just fainted on Natasha Romanoff.

"It's okay." Natasha insists.

Peter smiles sheepishly. "That's kind of embarrassing."

"I won't tell anyone if you don't." Natasha smirks.

"Mr. Stark knows."

"He really has Friday record everything, huh?" 

"Well, yeah," Peter shrugs. "But he's also standing right there." He points at the entrance where Tony is leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Peter doesn't seem to be embarrassed, however Natasha feels a little awkward. She doesn't show it though.

"You okay, bud?" Tony asks, voice soft.

"Yeah." Peter smiles.

"Ned's in the kitchen." Tony states, making Peter gasp.

"I thought he wasn't coming until later!" He says, hopping up and freezing immediately. "Woah, headrush." He laughs. Then he's running past Tony and into the kitchen.

Tony smiles as he watches Peter leave. He turns back to Natasha, not leaving the door.

Natasha raises an eyebrow. "Come on, if you're going to tease me you might as well get it over with." She gestures.

Tony's brows furrow. "Why would I tease you for taking care of my kid?"

"Oh," She says. "Well, you're welcome then."

"Thank you, Ms. Romanoff." Tony smiles.

Steve

A bright early morning, Steve flips the page of his book, continuing to read without hesitation. He sighs to himself, not used to feeling so content. He's taking a day for himself. Deciding to read a book, drink some tea, and recline on the plush couch in the lounge.

Before he disappeared, Bruce had suggested he read this book, claiming that he loved it and Steve would too. He finally decided to pick it up and so far, its been quite enjoyable. 

The sun shining through the large windows warms Steve's shoulders. The TV is playing lowly, just for background noise. Everyone else is either sleeping in or not home because the Tower is dead silent, which rarely happens. Steve loves it.

He seldom has time to himself anymore-- he's not complaining about it, but it's nice to have some good old-fashioned alone time.

His alone time, however, is interrupted when Tony walks into the room, Peter clinging to his back. The kid's arms are wrapped tightly around Tony's neck and head is resting on the billionaire's shoulder. Peter looks absolutely miserable. His eyes are tired, with bags underneath them, his hair is messy as if he's been tossing and turning all night, and he looks a little sickly.

Tony sounds tired as well when he mumbles a small, "Morning, Cap." 

"Morning, Tony," Steve says, resting his book in his lap. "Good morning, Peter." He adds, eyeing the boy carefully.

"Mmm." Peter hums, offering Steve nothing more than a dismal frown.

Tony faces away from the couch and gently lowers Peter onto the cushion next to Steve. Steve grabs the throw blanket that lies on the floor, shakes it out, and passes it to Tony. Tony then tucks Peter in, making sure his feet are covered.

He tucks a strand of hair behind Peter's ear and smiles sadly. "I'll be right back, buddy." He says.

"M'kay." Peter whispers, tears gathering in his eyes at the mention of Tony leaving.

Tony adjusts the blanket once more, making sure it reaches Peter's chin before standing up. He glances at Steve and mouths a silent, 'Watch him for me.'

Steve nods and closes his book. Tony leaves, heading towards the kitchen.

"Rough night, kid?" Steve says, because what else could it be?

Peter nods, but doesn't say anything. Steve doesn't pry any further. Instead he puts on the National Graphic channel for Peter to watch, since he overheard Peter gushing about the animals once. He turns up the volume a little bit, but it still remains relatively quiet. He doesn't want to overwhelm the kid.

Tony returns seconds later with a water bottle in his hands. He kneels in front of the couch.

"Sit up for me, Pete," He says. Peter begrudgingly obliges, looking Tony in the eyes. "You gotta drink this."

"No," Peter whines, pinching his eyes closed. He knows the inside of the bottle contains liquid IV. It's supposed to help with his fainting, because it hydrates more than water and is packed with electrolytes, but it's absolutely disgusting. And he's expected to chug the whole bottle? No way. "Gross." He pouts.

"I know, but you need to drink it," Tony explains. "It's passion fruit, so it's not as bad as the last one."

"Promise?" Peter asks.

Tony nods, "Yeah, I promise," Peter huffs out a breath of air and Tony takes that as an 'okay'. He gently lifts the bottle to Peter's lips. Peter holds onto the bottle and squeezes his eyes shut. He takes four or five large gulps before he pushes Tony's hand away and attempts stares a whole through the wall. He shakes his head, trying to get his eyes to focus. But his brain feels like mush and he's so tired all of a sudden and-- he faints into Tony's chest. "Oh god, buddy." Tony whispers.

"Is he okay?" Steve asks, genuine concern sneaking into his normally neutral expression.

"Bad day." Tony sighs. He wraps his arms around Peter's middle.

Steve frowns, "How many times has he fainted already?" It was only nearing nine o'clock, surely Peter hasn't been fainting too much?

"Uh, seven times? I don't know, I lost count after four in a row."

"That's horrible," Steve says. "Are days like these rare?" He asks, hoping Tony won't mind his questions. Normally he'd keep to himself, but he's genuinely curious about Peter's condition.

"Not rare enough for my liking." Tony huffs. 

Steve watches Peter's shoulders tense as he lifts his head slowly. "Ow," Peter mumbles, forehead creasing. "Head hurts." He frowns, eyes glassy. He's looking at Tony, pleading for him to fix the pain. Steve can't imagine how Tony must be feeling. Having to witness someone in pain is hard enough, but to have to watch a child -- your child -- hurting right in front of, it can't be pleasant.

Tony's torn expression confirms Steve's hypothesis. He looks like all he wants to do is help, but he also knows he can't.

Tony's a fixer. He's a mechanic, an engineer, an inventor. He can't fix pain though.

All he can do is hold up the bottle and wait for Peter to take a sip.

Steve watches Peter faint twice more, plummeting into Tony each time. Tony just wraps his arms around the kid, checks his pulse, cards through his hair.

He asks if Tony needs anything, to which to responds 'ibuprofen, please'. Steve heads to the medicine stash in the kitchen without hesitation, grabbing the pain-meds that were modified to work on Peter.

He hands the pill bottle to Tony, who offers him a tired smile, although Steve can see the gratitude in his eyes.

When Peter wakes up again, he pushes his face into the nook of Tony's neck and cries. Steve himself hates seeing Peter so distraught. Normally he's so cheerful and optimistic, it devastating to see him so wrecked. 

He watches Tony press a long kiss to his temple. He taps Peter on the shoulder and he sits up straight.

"Do you want some meds?" Tony asks. Peter shakes his head. "Okay, drink half of this then," He says. Peter's face contorts. "Only half."

Peter shakes his head.

Tony runs a hand through the kid's hair. "You can do it." 

Peter rolls his head back in irritation, but waits for Tony to lift the water bottle anyway. He takes a few small sips, then one big one, and then a couple more. In the end, he's pretty much drank half the bottle.

He presses his forehead into Tony's sternum, whispering, "'m going."

Steve can see Peter's fist clenching. His fingers are shaking and he keeps moving them around. He can see the hairs on the back of Peter's neck stand up, a warning sign from his spidey-sense that's he's going to faint soon. He can see the distant look in his eyes; the dissociation. 

Tony repeats the cycle of holding and tending to all over again.

"Could you get me a water?" He asks after Peter's been unconscious for two minutes.

Steve nods and returns to the kitchen. He fills up a glass of water for Tony, and one for Peter, although he doubts that Peter will want to drink anything more. Walking back to the lounge, he hands the first glass to Tony and rests the second on the coffee table.

"How's your day been?" Tony asks, resting his chin on top of Peter's head.

"Alright," Steve answers distractedly. He's a little too busy worrying about why Peter hasn't woken up yet-- it's been five minutes. Tony doesn't seem to be bothered though, so apparently this is normal. "I was reading this book." He holds it up.

"Oh yeah," Tony smiles gently. "Bruce tell you to read that?" Steve nods. "He had me read it too."

"You miss him?" He asks.

"Yeah," Tony sighs. "God knows Peter would've loved him--" He pauses, looking down at the mentioned kid, thinking he felt movement.

Nothing.

Tony shakes his head and continues to talk to Steve. Steve ends up watching Peter while he tries to focus on the words tumbling out of Tony's mouth. He hasn't known the kid for very long and has only had a couple conversations with him, but he would do anything to help him. The amount of adoration that, not just Steve, but all the Avengers hold for Peter is -- well, a lot.

Steve can only wish to imagine the fondness that fills Tony's chest when he sees Peter. The warmth that seemingly overflows his rib cage, forcing into his heart and his lungs.

"Are you there?" Tony whispers into Peter's hair.

"Are you?" Peter says weakly.

Tony replies without hesitation, "Always."

"M tired." Peter mumbles, rolling back onto the couch. 

"Yeah?" Tony says, tucking some hair behind his kid's ear. "You wanna take the meds now?" He asks. When Peter nods he hands him the pills and a glass of water Steve brought. Peter downs the pills with a gulp and pulls his blanket up to his chest. 

"How are you feeling, Peter?" Steve asks.

"Not very good," Peter shakes his head. "Can I have some cereal?" He asks Tony.

"Sure bud, anything you want." Tony smiles. He gets up and walks to the kitchen.

"Fainting so often must be tough." Steve comments.

Peter shrugs. "It kind of sucks," He admits. "But think of all the hugs I get from Mr. Stark." He grins.

"I suppose that's an advantage." Steve smiles back.

Tony

"Mr. Stark?" Tony hears Peter's timid voice from behind him. He turns around and looks over the back of the couch. Peter is standing in the hallway, eyes tired in a way Tony knows all too well. People often say that Peter looks a lot like Tony. The billionaire realizes that the kid could easily pass as his own child because of the similarities.. But, thanks to multiple DNA and paternity tests, he knows that's not the case. Tony tells himself he doesn't see it, when really, he does. Especially when Peter looks so tired, bags under his eyes, hair a mess of chestnut curls, he can't help but see himself.

"You okay, kiddo?" He asks tentatively. He glances at his watch. It's nearly three o'clock and Peter has to get up for school in a couple hours.

"'M fine. Just feel a little sick." Peter admits. He stumbles over to the couch and climbs over the back. He sits beside Tony, nestling into his side.

"Yeah?" Tony whispers, wrapping his arm around Peter's shoulders. "Did you have a rough day today?" He knows Peter has trouble sleeping after a draining day. Days when the kid's brain seems to constantly run on overdrive as if he's afraid to crash. 

He feels a nod against his chest and his grip tightens subconsciously. "Anything I can do to help?"

Peter curls further into Tony. "Just hold me, please." He murmurs.

"Of course, bud." Tony says immediately, as if there was any other answer. Tony has dedicated his life to many things throughout the duration of his existence, but Peter is one of the most important. For Peter, Tony's committed. He's in for the long-run and he doesn't want it any other way. 

He presses a quick kiss to Peter's forehead before whispering, "C'mon, let's get you more comfortable." He lies down and let's Peter climb on top of him, nestling into any space he can sneak into.

"I almost collapsed into a door frame today." Peter says.

"Really?"

"Mhm," Peter hums. "MJ caught me."

"Guess you got her to hold you some how," Tony teases in reference to Peter's painfully obvious crush on his friend. The kid just flushes and presses his face into Tony's neck. "I'm just joking with you." Tony smiles.

"I know."

"I'm glad your friends are so caring." I'm glad they can protect you when I can't.

Peter smiles, "Me too."

They lay in silence for a while after that. Their hushed words lingering in the air, floating above. Tony closes his eyes and holds Peter close. He doesn't get to do this very often anymore. Well, sure he holds Peter when he's passed out, but it's different when he's actually conscious. It's a lot rarer to just hug the kid for the sake of hugging the kid. Tony's busy, so is Peter. They both have priorities. But that doesn't mean they can't make time for cuddle-sessions.

Tony doesn't know whether Peter is awake or trying to fall asleep, but he knows his brain forces him to sleep when the kid relaxes hastily, unnaturally. He practically melts into Tony's chest, head falling from his shoulder and hanging at an uncomfortable angle.

Tony sits up a little to manoeuvre Peter into a more pleasant position. He gently searches for Peter's pulse and exhales when he feels a steady thump under his fingers.

He wraps his arms around his kid and waits for him to come to. The waiting game is always the worst part. Usually Tony is fine waiting. He has fairly good patience and he'd remain by Peter's side for all eternity if he had to.

But sometimes Tony's anxious thoughts take over a little more than he'd like. Let's just say he doesn't want to end up waiting for a child that won't wake up again.

Luckily, today isn't that day because Peter tenses seconds later, eyebrows knitting together. 

"You good?" Tony asks.

Peter looks at him. "Yeah." He whispers.

"Good."

"Are you good?" Peter asks curiously.

"Yeah," Tony whispers, resting his chin on the crown of Peter's head. "I'm good."

Despite all the anxiety and questioning thoughts, Tony knows somehow Peter will always wake up. And he'll always have someone who cares about him by his side. Because there's a lot of them.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for making you wait so long for a follow-up :) lmk if you want more fainting!peter content bc i would be happy to write it
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated! have a lovely day/night
> 
> find me on instagram @tonysghosts


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